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"Good morning, Harry," Tom said, smiling at his young charge over his newspaper. "Would you like some sausages? Toast?"

Harry's eyes lit up. "Yes please, Uncle Thomas," he said happily. He flushed with pleasure.

Tom poured him a glass of pumpkin juice and filled his plate. "You'll be meeting some of my old colleagues today," he told Harry. "I need to get Narcissa Malfoy's opinion on your health and clothing. I also need to speak to her husband, Lucius. He is a very powerful and intelligent man. I believe you will like them both."

The boy blushed in embarrassment at his clothing. "Am I not healthy, Uncle?" he asked timidly.

"I worry at your height," Tom admitted. "It is easily correctible, but right now you're skin and bones. Those disgusting Muggles stunted your growth by not feeding you." He growled under his breath.

"Can you fix my eyes, too?" Harry asked, excited.

Tom shook his head. "The eyes are the most sensitive and delicate part of the body," he said. When Harry's face fell, he somehow felt compelled to add, "However, we can get you a better pair of glasses. In the meantime.../Oculus Reparo/!" The scratched and broken spectacles immediately shone, whole again.

Harry took them off to pick the tape from the nosepiece and admired the clear lenses. "Thanks, Uncle Thomas," he said admiringly. He settled them back on his thin face and looked across the table inquiringly. "What's the paper say?"

"Have a look." Tom passed it over with a smirk.

"'Harry Potter Missing, Presumed Dead,'" Harry read aloud. He looked up from the paper and grinned at his new guardian. "'Muggle guardians in Azkaban for abuse.' What's Azkaban?"

"Azkaban is prison for wizards," Tom informed him. His smirk grew. "It's a nasty place." He made a mental note to see which of his followers were there. The sooner he broke them out, the better.

A soft, bell-like sound rang out through the room.

"Mordred, they're here already," Tom said, looking up in surprise. He flicked his wand at Harry's head and cast a glamour on his famous scar. "Let's go greet our guests, shall we?"

Harry nodded and followed him out into the hall. The two Malfoys were standing in the middle of the floor, looking around in confusion and no small amount of anger. Tom coughed to get their attention.

Lucius whirled around, wand in hand. "You play dangerous games-" he started. He looked closely at Tom and dropped his wand, eyes wide in surprise. "My Lord?" he breathed.

Tom nodded, smiling. Lucius and Narcissa dropped quickly to one knee, heads bowed.

"Forgive me, my Lord," Lucius said, shock making his voice tremble. "I didn't believe you."

Tom crossed the room in three swift strides and raised them both to their feet, embracing Lucius like a brother and kissing Narcissa's cheek. "There is nothing to forgive, Lucius. I have been recovering and travelling home for eight years. I understand that it would seem incredible that I had returned."

"You seem to have changed, my Lord," Narcissa said softly. Her face glowed with joy and pride.

"I have," he told them both. He beckoned to Harry, still standing at the far end of the hall. The small boy walked quickly to his side. "I would like you to meet my adopted nephew and heir in name, Henry Peverell," he said proudly. The boy smiled up at him.

"My Lord?" Lucius said, uncertain.

"Will you tell them?" Tom asked Harry. "Or shall I?"

Harry shook his head at Tom and looked to the confused, if happy, Malfoys. "Uncle Thomas found me with Muggles yesterday," he said matter-of-factly. "He took me from my cupboard and cursed them and gave me a room and food and...and /everything/." He stopped, breathless.

"A cupboard?" Narcissa gasped, appalled. "I hope you made them bleed, my Lord."

Tom laughed. "I put them under Imperius, Cissa. They told the Muggle police everything about what they did to him after we left."

Lucius's gaze snapped from Harry to Tom. "My Lord, is this...?"

"Yes, my friend." Tom smirked. "Meet Harry. My nephew."

Lucius bowed his head, sharing the smirk. "It is good to have you back, my Lord."

"That's all very well," Narcissa said with a sniff, "but your note said you wanted me to evaluate his health and fix any problems he might have. Would you like me to do that now, my Lord, or shall we stand and chat a bit more?"

Lucius paled at his wife's temerity, but she had the better measure of her Lord's new attitude. Tom chuckled. "I have missed you both greatly." He patted Harry on the shoulder. "Harry, why don't you show Narcissa your room?"

Harry smiled at the blonde woman. "Yes, Uncle," he said, walking towards the wide staircase. "It was nice to meet you, Lucius," he called back over his shoulder.

Narcissa inclined her head at Tom and followed the young boy up the stairs.

**

Harry perched on the edge of his bed, scuffed shoes slipping off his dangling feet. "Is this going to hurt?" he asked hesitantly. He was adapting to magic quickly, but the idea of things being done to his body made him worry.

"I'm just looking for damage, dear," Narcissa said soothingly. She took out her wand and murmured a few words under her breath, kneeling before him. The tip glowed blue. "The colours will tell me what is wrong, all right?"

"All right," he affirmed.

She ran the glowing wand up his right leg, frowning slightly as the colour shifted to a muddy yellow. She repeated the process on the left leg and narrowed her eyes at the two places on his shin that showed red through the yellow.

"Lie back, please, dear," she said distractedly, brows knitted in worry and anger. Harry flopped back on his soft bed and watched the play of colours across his stomach, chest, and arms. Everything was yellow and orange, he noticed, fascinated. Finally, she pulled her wand away with a "humph!" and sat on the bed next to him.

"What's wrong with me?" Harry asked, sitting up.

Narcissa wrapped an arm around his shoulders and said kindly, "Your bones are very brittle, dear, from not eating, and your stomach is too small. You're also too short. I have a potion with me that can fix this, but you'll have to be very brave, as it will hurt a bit to have your bones and organs grow quickly."

"I'll do it," Harry said firmly. He squared his skinny little shoulders.

"Brave boy," Narcissa praised. "Now, dear, get under the covers. After the potion has finished its work, you'll want to sleep."

Harry scrambled under the lofty blankets and peered up at her from his cosy nest. "Will you read to me, please?"

She smiled gently at him. "Of course. Would you like me to pick the book?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, please."

Narcissa stood gracefully and walked to the nearest shelf. "Have you heard of The Lord of the Rings?" She pulled it off the shelf to Harry's gasp of delight.

"I read The Hobbit last year, when my cous-I mean, when I was still living with the Muggles," Harry said shyly.

"Then I believe we should read this," Narcissa declared. She perched on the wide, high bed next to him and slipped an arm under his upper back. "Here, Harry dear," she said, uncapping a small glass bottle with one hand. "It'll taste nasty, so you ought to drink it down in one go."

Harry reached for the bottle and, screwing up his face, swallowed its contents quickly. "Euch!" he shuddered. He leaned back against the pillows, relaxed, and suddenly stiffened. It hurt! He felt a bone-deep ache all over his body.

"Concentrate on my voice, dear," Narcissa said as he let out a small whimper. Harry blinked at her hard, refocusing his eyes through the pain. "'When Mister Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton. Bilbo was very rich and very peculiar....'"

**

"I know you have questions, Lucius," Tom said, sitting in a leather wingback chair in the library. He gestured for Lucius to take the other. "Go on and ask, my friend."

"How did you manage it, my Lord?" Lucius asked curiously. "We had all but given up."

Tom smirked. "I was just a spirit," he said, "living off animals in Albania. When I was blown from my body, the winds blew me to a forest there. It was two years before I came across a human to possess. I had to move from Muggle to Muggle, as I drained their life to support my own. I walked back here on foot and performed a ritual to bring back my body."

Lucius looked staggered at the thought. "You have done more than most of us could ever dream of doing, my Lord," he said in a low voice. "We don't deserve your leadership."

Tom leaned over and gripped Lucius's shoulder briefly. "I would do it again if I had to. I needed to see to the boy I'd orphaned. Now, I need you."

"Anything, my Lord. What can I do?" The aristocrat settled into his chair and looked at Tom attentively.

"Where are my followers now?" Tom inquired. "Who is free? Who is in Azkaban? Of those who are free, who is loyal?"

"Ah." Lucius looked up in thought. "Severus is still at Hogwarts-he is loyal to you, I assure you, my Lord. During his trial, he only gave up Igor's name to the court. Igor is Headmaster of Durmstrang. He gave up several good men, showing his belly like the cur dog he is." He curled his lip scornfully. "All of us with children Harry's age are free, my Lord." He gave Tom an apologetic look. "Many of us bribed the courts, my Lord, or claimed to be under the Imperius curse."

Tom waved his hand in dismissal. "You had babies to raise," he said in understanding. "I don't fault you for not martyring yourselves."

"Thank you, my Lord. Um. Walden is a Ministry official, an executioner for the disposal of dangerous creatures. Marcus Jugson and Simon Yaxley went into business together-they run a store in Diagon Alley called Quality Quidditch Supplies. The Carrows twins started a very successful inn in Knockturn Alley." Lucius paused.

Tom nodded. "Go on."

"Peter disappeared after setting up Regulus's brother to take his fall. Erich Mulciber is in Azkaban. Igor's testimony sent Augustus there, as well."

Tom groaned softly. "I'm going to kill that spineless toad of a Russian."

"I think Augustus would like to help," Lucius said wryly. "Going on, Harmon Travers and Barty Junior died in Azkaban, and Antonin and all three Lestranges are still there."

Tom dropped his head into his hands. "You're telling me that six of my best people are sitting in Azkaban cells right now?"

"I'm afraid so, my Lord." Lucius coughed lightly. "Might you be thinking of breaking them out?"

"Absolutely." Tom looked up, fire in his eyes. "I'll get Rab and the others out of there, no matter what it takes."

"Leave it to me, my Lord," Lucius said firmly. "I'll talk to Walden and Geoff Goyle as soon as Narcissa's ready to leave. We can have them here at your manor by dinner, I guarantee it."

Tom grinned. "Polyjuice?" he surmised.

"And invisibility cloaks," Lucius confirmed. "A few drugged Muggles and the switch should be flawless." He smirked suddenly. "Fudge owes me a few favours. He'll look the other way if I request a visit to Azkaban."

"Excellent." They stood and clasped hands, Lucius bowing slightly. "I have the utmost of faith in you."

"I shall not let you down," Lucius swore.

They met Narcissa at the library door. She was clutching a book in her hands and trembling with anger. "My Lord, Lucius," she said with forced calm, "Harry has just fallen asleep. Those /Muggles/," she hissed, catlike, "had better pray they stay in Azkaban. If they ever get out, I'll kill them myself."

Tom put a calming hand on the furious woman's shoulder. "How bad of shape was he in, Narcissa?" he asked intently.

She looked up at him, eyes sparking with rage, and slumped slightly as all the anger ran out of her body. "He grew /five inches/, my Lord," she said sadly. "His left leg..." She trailed off, and shook her head. "His left leg didn't fully heal. It had been broken in two places, previously, and it's a little under a half inch shorter than his right leg."

Tom ground his teeth in frustration. "Lucius," he said evenly, "when you go to retrieve your comrades from prison, if you see the Muggles, hex them for me."

Lucius looked grim. "Yes, sir."

Narcissa relaxed a bit. "My Lord, I put new spectacles next to his bed, and adjusted some of Draco's clothing to fit him. He should be fine for now." She dug into her pocket and pulled out a minute catalogue. "Have him look through this when he's feeling better, my Lord. It's an instant owl-order to Gladrags and Twilfitt and Tatting's. Twilfitt and Tatting's also has a nice selection of decorative canes he might like."

Lucius nodded in agreement. "I got my cane from their store," he said, holding out his handsome snake-head cane in display.

"I'll show him," Tom promised Narcissa. "Thank you, Cissa, for taking care of Harry so well."

"He was a pleasure," she replied, smiling. She handed over the thick book she'd been clutching. "We left off at the beginning of chapter three," she said with a small laugh. "I daresay Tolkien has never had a better audience than that young boy."

Tom smiled and kissed her cheek. "I won't let the story stop there," he said. With a nod, he escorted the Malfoys down the staircase. "It was good to see you," he told them sincerely.

"I'll be back with company this evening," Lucius said, bowing. Tom watched the aristocratic couple Apparate out, and turned to go back up the stairs and check on Harry.